Gemma Bateman

Mental Health Nurse

Gemma is a qualified mental health nurse with a degree in mental health and has been supporting children, young people, and families since 2007. She has worked in adult services as well as across a wide range of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), including core CAMHS teams, crisis services, home treatment, youth offending settings and in schools. This breadth of experience has given her a deep and flexible understanding of mental health at different developmental stages and within different systems.

She offers therapeutic support to children aged 8 and above, with a focus on helping young people understand their emotions, manage anxiety, low mood, or behavioural difficulties, and work towards meaningful change. For younger children, she works closely with parents and carers supporting them to better understand their child’s behaviour and emotional needs and offering practical, compassionate strategies to manage these at home.

Gemma has a particular interest in neurodiversity and is passionate about improving understanding and support for children whose difficulties may be linked to diagnosed or undiagnosed neurodevelopmental needs such as autism or ADHD.

She has completed specialist training in Non-Violent Resistance (NVR), a respectful and empowering approach that can be particularly helpful for families experiencing high levels of distress or behaviour that feels hard to manage.

Her therapeutic approach is integrative and goal-focused, drawing on evidence-based models including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). She supports children and young people to identify what matters to them and helps them build the skills and confidence to move forward. Alongside this, she is continuing to develop her practice and will soon begin a master’s in CBT and psychodynamic counselling to further broaden and deepen the support she can offer.

Gemma works in a warm, collaborative way, and is known for her calm presence and ability to build trust with young people and their families. She believes that every child and family has the capacity to make meaningful changes when given the right support and space to reflect, grow, and learn new ways of coping.

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) University of Bedford (2007)
• Psycho-social Interventions University of Bedfordshire (2010)
• Solution Focused Brief Therapy University of Hertfordshire (2011)
• Degree in Mental Health Nursing University of Bedford (2014)
• SAVRY The University of Manchester (2016)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy British Isles (2019)
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy APT (2020)
• Foundation Level Training in Non Violent Resistance Partnership Projects (2021)
• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Second Edition (ADOS-2) Lucy Sanctuary (2024)
• ADOS-2 Administration Lucy Sanctuary (2025)